Marquette University Athletics
Marquette University
No. 23/21 Pittsburgh
Marquette Upsets 76 No. 23 Pittsburgh, 76-69
2/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2008
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MILWAUKEE - The Marquette women's basketball team overcame a 16-point deficit early in the first half, to defeat No. 23/21 Pittsburgh, 76-69, at the Al McGuire Center Saturday night.
In front of the second largest Al McGuire crowd of the season, the Golden Eagles (15-12, 7-7 BIG EAST) were able to close the gap entering intermission to a 33-27 Panthers lead on just 10-for-35 shooting.
With 13.1 seconds left in the half, MU took advantage of a five-second violation on Pitt, with Krystal Ellis feeding freshman Paige Fiedorowicz with a layup with 8 seconds left. After missing her foul shot, the Golden Eagles took control of the rebound, and freshman Jocelyn Mellen made a layup with one second left on the clock.
Marquette tied up the game with just over 18 minutes left in the second half with the help of Fiedorowicz's inside presence. Fiedorowicz made back-to-back baskets including a big left-handed layup to even the score at 33-33.
Mellen exceeded her previous career high of 13 points at St. John's on Feb. 2 with 15 points connecting on 5-of-8 from the field and five free throws.
Mellen was crucial to Marquette's comeback, bringing the Golden Eagles to within three at 49-46 with 10:19 left in the game. Mellen then hit a baseline jumper to once again inch within three points, 51-48.
The tide continued to change with junior Kelly Lam jumping on a deflected Pittsburgh pass and charging in for an MU layup, bringing the score to within one, 51-50.
Mellen continued to pursue her career-high in points making two free throws to tie the game at 52-52 with 7:32 left.
The last six minutes of the game showcased end-to-end action with MU and Pitt trading baskets.
Marquette took their first lead of the game with a long-range bucket from junior Krystal Ellis and never looked back after gaining a 62-59 lead with 4:01 left in the game.
Freshman Angel Robinson followed with another three from the top of the key to stretch the lead to 65-61 with just over three minutes remaining. Svetlana Kovalenko made a layup to extend the lead to 70-65 with 1:12 remaining.
The Golden Eagles secured the win making 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute of the game.
Ellis led the squad with 18 points and seven assists, and shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the line. Robinson and Mellen followed in scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Mellon's 15 points led Marquette's bench effort, which combined for 25 total points and 13 rebounds.
The Panthers, who were playing without leading scorer Shavonte Zellous (concussion), had four players in double figures: Marcedes Walker (19), Xenia Stewart and Mallorie Winn (12 each), and Chelsea Cole (10).
Marquette will next play on the road at Villanova on March 1 at Noon CT. The Golden Eagles wrap-up their regular season against USF on March 3 at 8 p.m. for senior night.
